After more than 500 photo essays, it is time to convert the photos and words into books. This site is dedicated to discovering and publishing early photographs from the Holy Land. .

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Arab Revolt in Palestine 1938. Escalation by the Arabs and the British

Aftermath of Hebron attack on Barclay's Bank and British
armored car, August 1938. The driver was killed

The American Colony photo collection possesses an amazing visual record of the violent events in Palestine in 1938. The photographers traveled the width and breadth of Palestine to record the results of many of the Arab attacks against British institutions, Jewish communities, and strategic targets such as the rail system.

The photographs also record one aspect of the British military's reaction -- the widespread destruction of homes in the urban hotbeds of the Arab revolt.

The Galilee was one of the hottest areas in the conflict -- a war in all its aspects. Here are examples of reports filed by the British Mandatory office in their 1938 annual report just for the Jenin area:

Remains of Bethlehem police barracks
and post office after attack. Click here
to view arrival of British troops

On March 3rd, there was a heavy engagement west of Jenin in which a military force, with aircraft co-operation, engaged and dispersed an armed band of between two and three hundred Arabs. One British officer was killed and an officer and two soldiers wounded. The losses among the band were thirty known to be killed and were estimated at twice that number. Sixteen prisoners were taken and a considerable quantity of arms, ammunition and bombs.

On August 24th Mr. Moffat, the acting Assistant District Commissioner in Jenin, was fatally wounded by an Arab assassin who penetrated to his office. In this case the murderer was almost immediately apprehended by troops and, in an ensuing attempt to escape, was shot dead.

"On October 2nd there occurred a general raid on the Jewish quarter of Tiberias. It was systematically organized and savagely executed. Of the 19 Jews killed, including women and children, all save four were stabbed to death."

The Special Night Squads led by the legendary British officer Orde Wingate were deployed during this period.

Troops of the Irish Guard "on the outskirts of Nablus leaving to
fight the gangs on hills." July 1938

Following the assassination of the Mandate's assistant district commissioner in Jenin, many of Jenin's homes were blown up -- according to some accounts one-quarter of the town. The American Colony photographers recorded the widespread ruins.

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1 comment:

If there's one thing that even the best fire extinguisher service in the world will have trouble with is war and conflict. Even just thinking of how to put out fires on such a wide scale is daunting - let alone actually doing it while worrying about crossfire.

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About the Book

U.S. Interests in the Holy Land

Although Jewish life in the Holy Land reawakened during the 19th century, photographs of Jews in Palestine and the life they lived there are scarce. Collecting photographs from the archives of the the Library of Congress, the Ottoman Imperial Archives, the New York Public Library, libraries in universities and churches around the world, and in families’ albums, Lenny Ben-David provides a unique and visual history of the American fascination and dedication to a Jewish national home in the Holy Land.

Photo essays include fascinating stories such as why Lincoln wanted to visit Jerusalem, how the U.S. Navy saved the Jews of Palestine in 1915, why the Chief Rabbi of Palestine visited the White House in 1924, why there was a Ferris wheel on the holy Temple Mount, Mark Twain's stay in Jerusalem, and much more.

The Next Book: World War I in the Holy Land

Expected early 1918

About the Author, Lenny Ben-David

Lenny Ben-David has been involved in the study and enhancement of U.S.-Israel relations for more than 40 years. He served as director of AIPAC's Israel office for 15 years, and is the author of Myths and Facts published in 1985 and 1989. Ben-David served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Israel's Embassy in Washington, D.C for three years, and consulted for foreign governments and other corporations.

Ben-David is the Director of Publications at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

He and his wife reside in Efrat, Israel, where they are surrounded by children, grandchildren, and fruit trees.